David Cohen Nassy
Encyclopedia
David Cohen Nassy was a professional colonizer who started Jewish colonies in the Caribbean
. He had several nicknames, Cristovão de Távora (his christian name) and José Nunes da Fonseca (his tradename).
He fled to Amsterdam
(Netherlands
) because of the Inquisition
in Portugal
. He married Ribca (Maria) Drago and they had 12 children. David lived in Amsterdam and was authorized in 1662 by Abraham aCohen to go to Cayenne
(French Guiana
). In 1664 he went to Cayenne with a great number of Jews, but was refused to set up volksplantingen in Cayenne. David and his Jews travelled to Surinam and they settled at Jodensavanne
on the Surinam river.
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David de Ishak Cohen Nassy born in Suriname in 1747, had a wife called Esther.
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. He had several nicknames, Cristovão de Távora (his christian name) and José Nunes da Fonseca (his tradename).
He fled to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
(Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) because of the Inquisition
Portuguese Inquisition
The Portuguese Inquisition was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of the King of Portugal, João III. Manuel I had asked for the installation of the Inquisition in 1515 to fulfill the commitment of marriage with Maria of Aragon, but it was only after his death that the Pope...
in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. He married Ribca (Maria) Drago and they had 12 children. David lived in Amsterdam and was authorized in 1662 by Abraham aCohen to go to Cayenne
Cayenne
Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "Ferit Aurum Industria" which means "Work brings wealth"...
(French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
). In 1664 he went to Cayenne with a great number of Jews, but was refused to set up volksplantingen in Cayenne. David and his Jews travelled to Surinam and they settled at Jodensavanne
Jodensavanne
Jodensavanne was an attempt to establish an autonomous Jewish territory in Suriname, South America.Jodensavanne is located in Para District, about 50 km south of the capital Paramaribo, on the Suriname River....
on the Surinam river.
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David de Ishak Cohen Nassy born in Suriname in 1747, had a wife called Esther.
- David [de Ishak Cohen] Nassy, a man of letters, a physician, slaveowner, and Jewish leader in the Dutch colony of Suriname in the late 18th century... he moved between the world of the Enlightenment and the ferment of colonial thought; how he viewed slavery; and what his relations were with the Africans and Indians of Suriname, especially with those Africans drawn into the Jewish religion.
- Nassy is the supposed author of the book ‘History of the Colony of Suriname. Compiled by a company of learned Jewish men there.’ From this in 1791 published document a wealth of information has been saved. ...[He] was the owner of Plantation De Tulpenburg, between Torarica and The Guinee Friendship. "That’s a half day travel by boat to go to the synagogue, with one of those elegant tent boats you’ll see in the engravings. When you know one wasn’t allowed to work after Friday sunset, they were probably busy all Friday getting to Jodensavanne in time for the Sabbath. ...His plantation went bankrupt, he worked as a self-educated pharmacist, and he lost his dearly loved wife Esther in a smallpox epidemic. A love poem on her final resting-place says all of his feelings: "...your memory grows dearer without pain…" the inscription on Nassy’s grave is difficult to read. ...